


The Honeymoon Suite

by agrajag



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eddie Kaspbrak Has OCD, Exploration, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Photography
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23164795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrajag/pseuds/agrajag
Summary: Like, it wasn't as if [Eddie] didn't already have enough shit that Richie did to keep him up at night. And with [urban] exploring, he did literally keep Eddie up, stumbling into their dorm room at three in the morning after having been out all night. And sometimes he would smell so gross that Eddie couldn't fall back asleep at all.Not like any of that was the important part.Richie could realistically die. He was climbing rickety ladders that could detach from the wall and going through tunnels that could collapse at any moment.So what if the places he was visiting were visually beautiful?
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 4
Kudos: 65





	The Honeymoon Suite

**Author's Note:**

  * For [princessDameron](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessDameron/gifts).



Richie had gotten into what he called urban exploring (and what Eddie called trespassing) during their sophomore year of college, and it just added another thing for Eddie to worry about. Like, it wasn't as if he didn't already have enough shit that Richie did to keep him up at night. And with exploring, he did literally keep Eddie up, stumbling into their dorm room at three in the morning after having been out all night. And sometimes he would smell so gross that Eddie couldn't fall back asleep at all.

Not like any of that was the important part.

Richie could realistically die. He was climbing rickety ladders that could detach from the wall and going through tunnels that could collapse at any moment.

So what if the places he was visiting were visually beautiful? Eddie never went with him, of course. He'd just seen the pictures Richie had taken. Which probably, now that he was thinking about it, weren't accurate anyway. It must be some, like, photography magic. Fancy lighting or something.

Not like Richie would ever invite him to join. He had his cool new friends to explore with. He was probably too embarrassed to be seen with him. Eddie couldn't blame him, though. He was still so worried he would get tetanus from stepping on an exposed nail while the explorers were climbing twenty stories up and hanging out on rooftops. It wasn't going to take much longer before Richie realized that he didn't need the dead weight.

"You know you're looking _way_ too much into this, right?" Mike asked one day when Eddie brought it up. They were supposed to be studying, but that went right out the window once Eddie started talking. "Richie loves you, man. Just... you know... be supportive of his new hobby."

"I wish my brain wasn't my worst enemy," Eddie said and then sighed. "Because I know Richie wouldn't, but then... Ugh. Whatever. So, how do I be supportive?"

Mike shrugged.

"You could try going with him some time."

"What? Are you serious?" Eddie asked, voice rising, and getting them shushed by one of the librarians. He continued, quieter. "I could never do that. And Richie wouldn't want me to tag along anyway."

"I doubt that," Mike said with a laugh. "Just... ask him."

Eddie sighed.

"Maybe. I don't know. I'll think about it."

Apparently that hadn't been good enough for Mike. The asshole totally talked to Richie about it, because a week later, he was asking Eddie if he wanted to come with him.

"Oh absolutely not," Eddie said, wrinkling his nose. "Just breathing in that air will probably give me five different diseases. No thank you."

And then the unthinkable happened.

Eddie tried not to think about it, but Richie almost looked disappointed that he had said no.

"I mean, if you really think that..." Richie said. His voice wavered a bit, but Eddie could tell he was trying to put on a brave face. "But I don't think you do. Like, you don't know what it's like unless you try it once. It'll be fun. And I, uh, I want to go with you."

"Oh. Uh, okay then. At least once, right? What will I need?"

Richie clasped his hands together, the sound echoing in the dorm.

"I'm so glad you asked, Eds."

And so Eddie's afternoon was taken up by Richie explaining his usual checklist.

**Richie:** You want two lights, preferably a headlamp and a regular light, and then extra batteries.

**Eddie:** Why so much?

**Richie:** You _never_ want to be caught without a light. Trust me.

**Eddie:** Okay. I do.

**Richie:** Next, boots. Best if they go up to your knees, but regular rain boots will be fine.

**Eddie:** Rich, I said no tunnels! Why the fuck do I need boots?

**Richie:** Abandoned buildings have roles in their roofs, and then it rains, and you get big ass puddles.

**Eddie:** Okay, fine. So boots.

**Richie:** Work type gloves to protect your hands. Sturdy clothing. Seriously. It is not the time to be vain, alright? Snacks, of course. Gotta keep your blood sugar up. And water, water, water.

**Eddie:** Oh my God, what if I have to...

**Richie:** It's free range! The whole world is your bathroom.

**Eddie:** Ew! No!

**Richie:** Well, you can hold it if you want to be stubborn. Anyway, on that note, toilet paper.

**Eddie:** Richie!

**Richie:** Backpacks are the best to carry everything since it keeps your hands free, obviously.

**Eddie:** Is all of this _going_ to fit in a backpack?

**Richie:** I said 'trust me.' I've done this before. I've made it all fit.

Eddie sighed.

"I do. This is just... a lot. It's overwhelming. I didn't think it would require all of this. I thought you guys..."

"Charged in willy nilly?" Richie asked with a laugh. "Nope. We take every precaution. I wouldn't have started this if the others didn't. Can't have my Eddie freaking out."

"I haven't been freaking out," Eddie said with a huff as he crossed his arms.

"Sure you weren't."

Richie leaned over to pinch Eddie's cheek. It earned him a punch to the shoulder, but somehow he still looked smug.

See, Eddie really _was_ trying not to freak out, but he _did_ stress out the next few days as he waited for the day they were going out. He had borrowed most of this supplies from Richie, since he was sure he wouldn't ever be using them again, and then gathered everything else. But that only kept him occupied for about an hour between his morning classes one day.

Well, he supposed he could do actual schoolwork to keep his mind off things.

Finally Saturday came, and Eddie practically jumped out of bed to get ready.

"Eager, aren't we?" Richie asked, and Eddie screamed as he jumped and almost fell back into his bed.

"You're up on time?" he asked incredulously.

Richie grinned at him.

"Yeah. Don't want to miss a minute of you popping your exploring cherry."

"Please don't call it that," Eddie said with a groan. 

"Okay. I won't. As long as you promise to not get mad when I say... the explorers are _always_ late."

"Rich..."

"You said you wouldn't get mad!"

"I never agreed to that!" Eddie yelled, but he was smiling. He had gone straight from freaking out to being super excited for the day. It was all Richie's fault; his excitement was contagious. But Eddie still had to contradict him. That was just how they communicated. "I'm going to shower. I can still get ready on time, because I'm not a slacker."

"You're just going to get dirty again," Richie called after him, but Eddie was well on his way to the dorm's bathrooms.

The two of them took their time getting dressed and packing their bags and still had some time to goof off before Richie deemed it safe to leave.

And yet, somehow, they still ended up waiting on the others.

Twenty minutes after they agreed to meet, their car pulled up next to Richie's beat up truck. Three people stepped out, all of them dressed the same way Richie had instructed him to, sturdy clothes in muted colors. It had been weird to see Richie not wear at least one small thing in something brighter, but Eddie understood they had to sneak around and not be seen.

But, gosh, did they all look so cool. (Maybe even Richie.)

Eddie knew he looked just the same, but there was no way he pulled it off like they did.

"Hey Trashmouth," one of the guys said with a wave. "This the boy?"

"The boy?" Eddie asked, confused, glaring at Richie. Then... "Wait. Did he call you _Trashmouth_?"

"Uh, yeah," Richie said, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck. "I sort of, uh, took it as my exploring name."

"Exploring name?"

"Yeah, we all have one," the man said. "I'm Gopher. That's X-Ray," he continued, pointing to the other man and then to the woman, "and that's Crow."

God, Eddie couldn't believe he had forgotten his manners. He was so embarrassed.

"Oh, uh, hi. I'm Ed..."

"Spaghetti!" Richie yelled, interrupting him. "Your exploring name is now Spaghetti." 

Eddie sneered.

"Oh, absolutely not."

"I like the boy," Crow said with a laugh.

"Okay. Enough of this," Richie said, clearing his throat. If Eddie didn't know any better, he'd say now Richie was the embarrassed one. But what for? "You three were so freaking late. So can we finally get started?"

"Testy today, huh?" X-Ray asked. "Well, nice to meet you, Spaghetti. I'm sure you're used to Trashmouth's rudeness. So, let's get walking."

"Um, that is _definitely_ not going to be my nickname or whatever," Eddie protested, but the explorers were already a full block ahead of him.

Damn, they were fast.

"Gotta keep up," Richie called over his shoulder.

Eddie could just make out Crow chiding Richie, telling him that he should know better and o keep it down, as he ran to catch up with them. It made him laugh, and he quickly covered his mouth.

"Oh, you're alright for now," Gopher told him. "We're just a couple of college kids walking down the street. Not doing anything suspicious. It's not until we reach the block the hotel is on that we should be quiet and move as fast as possible."

"This isn't as fast as possible yet?" Eddie asked incredulously, causing Richie to snort. Like he had a leg to stand up on. He usually broke out in a sweat _watching_ Eddie at his track meets. "So, you guys don't feel bad about breaking the law?"

"What we're doing doesn't hurt anyone," Crow pointed out.

"That's the simple way of putting it," Gopher said with a laugh. "Yeah, the buildings are empty, and they usually were public places before they were abandoned, so we don't see that as much of a big deal. Then you have the photography explorers who see the places we go as art, basically, so they'll do what it takes to get the shot, so they don't care if the law stands in the way."

"I've seen Vamp _literally_ hang upside down to get the shot he wanted."

"Then there _are_ the tunnels, like the drains and sewers..." Gopher trailed off and then it was X-Ray's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, that's a little more, uh, involved," he said. "You're under private property, so yeah. That's a bit more of a commitment. Which I'm sure that's why you told Trashy no tunnels, and I can't blame you."

Eddie had to hold in a laugh at 'Trashy.'

"Uh no," he said, still with silent laughter wracking his body. "That would be because I have no desire to be buried alive."

"Ooh, that would make a good horror movie."

"Don't scare the pasta straight," Richie said, slinging his arm around X-Ray's shoulders. "I only just got him to agree to come explore with us."

Eddie was about to ask what he meant 'only just' but then Gopher was signaling for them to keep quiet because they had reached the abandoned building, a hotel, and they were ducking into a broken door. As simple as that.

"It's not even chained up?" Eddie asked.

"When people are careful enough, the city doesn't realize they might _need_ to chain them up," Gopher explained. "They think no one would want to go into a condemned building."

"Wait. The building is condemned?" Eddie asked, but everyone ignored him.

"That's why we _really_ don't want to be seen," Richie said, leaning in to pinch Eddie's cheek. "Not like anyone would see you slipping in."

"Shut up Richie."

"Wow, they are adorable," Crow said sarcastically.

Eddie could just make out the roll of her eyes as they all turned on their head lamps.

Richie coughed.

"Alright then," he said. "Me and Spaghetti are going to try and find that room. We'll catch you around."

Richie grabbed Eddie's hand, pulling him along before he could protest, and Eddie only got his bearings once they were away from the others.

"Richie, is it safe to be splitting up? What room are we even looking for? And why in God's name do you keep calling me Spaghetti?"

"Hey Eds, can you do me a favor? We made it into the hotel. You can turn off your brain now and have fun." Eddie gave him a pointed look, so Richie continued with a sigh. "It _is_ safe. As long as we don't go off one by one, we'll be okay. And I'm calling you your exploring name because that's what we do. It's a safety measure, which I thought you would appreciate."

Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"But Spaghetti?"

"Yeah. Eddie Spaghetti," Richie said with a shit eating grin. "Anyway, getting named by another explorer is kind of a big deal. You should be happy."

Well, Eddie couldn't help but smile at that. He _was_ pleased Richie picked his nickname, although he didn't want to dwell on the 'why.'

"Don't think I didn't notice how you ignored the one question," he said, hoping the change in topic would stop Richie from pointing out his reaction to the stupid exploring name.

"Well, that part is a surprise."

Eddie was made aware of the fact that Richie was still holding his hand as he tugged on it once more and started leading Eddie through the hotel. They went through every room they passed, and Eddie gave up asking if each one was 'the surprise' after the fifth. It ended up not mattering, though, because he forgot about it soon enough and simply enjoyed himself. Sure, the rooms were dirty, so he refused to touch anything he absolutely didn't need to, but Richie and the explorers had been right that there was a certain, albeit strange, beauty to it all.

Richie was taking pictures on his phone, and Eddie decided that wasn't a bad idea. He took the gloves off for a moment and used the hand sanitizer he had packed in his bag before taking his phone out of the Ziploc bag he had put it in to keep it dry. Richie had his back to him at the moment, so Eddie risked taking a few shots of him before moving into the rest of the scenery. 

Now, Richie didn't have any qualms taking pictures of Eddie when he could clearly see him doing so. Eddie standing by a window? Click. Eddie nudging some trash out of his way with the toe of his boot? Click. Eddie sticking his tongue out at Richie for taking all these pictures? Click.

He said that the pictures would serve as great reminders of Eddie's first time exploring, and Eddie countered that one or two would have been more than enough for that. Secretly, though, he was loving all the attention from Richie. He always loved having Richie's attention. He couldn't deny any longer that the main reason he was worried about Richie getting into exploring was the fact that he would be spending less time with the Losers. Less time with Eddie.

It was just because Richie was his best friend, though. That was the only reason.

Except Eddie was starting to admit that he liked Richie more than just friends. He had been vying for his attention since they were kids. He had argued with Stan for almost a week straight over who got to be Richie's roommate when they were signing up for the dorms their freshman year. He watched Richie get changed. Like, far too much. It was creepy. And then there was the whole 'getting jealous of the explorers' thing started, and Eddie was honestly _so_ dumb that it hadn't occurred to him at that point.

Well, maybe he had known all along, but had been too scared to admit it. He was definitely too scared to do anything about it now.

Not just _now_ now, because he wasn't going to make a move in this germ infested incubator, but once they were home and miraculously clean, he doubted he would. He didn't want to ruin what they had. He would be helpless without Richie in his life, as much as it pained him to admit it. Deep down, he knew that he'd survive and move on eventually, but he didn't want to know what life would be like without Richie there to constantly tease him until he got to that point.

So Eddie ignored how obvious it was, now that he was aware of these stupid feelings, that his heart would speed up and his palms would get sweaty when he'd catch sight of Richie -- standing in front of a window in one of the rooms with the sun illuminating his hair.

Yeah, nope. Ignoring it.

They passed Gopher and the others a few times, going through some of the rooms together, but Richie seemed determined to find his surprise and show it to Eddie, so they mostly explored the hotel in uncharacteristic silence. Eddie was almost disappointed that he wasn't getting a chance to get to know Richie's new friends, but was of course ecstatic for the time with him that wasn't studying or cleaning their room.

Eddie was brought back to the present when Richie opened the door to the next room and gasped excitedly, slamming it shut so Eddie couldn't see what had him freaking out.

"We finally found it," he said, waving his hands.

"Oh, really?" Eddie asked. "Because it looks like yet another room. Like all the others."

"Well, yes and no," Richie said cryptically.

Eddie was about to ask him to fucking clarify what he meant, but Richie opened the door once more and gestured for him to go first.

Eddie didn't know what he had been expecting. Honeymoon suite actually made sense, but he was still taken aback when he walked in and saw the heart shaped bed. Like all the other rooms they had walked through, there was dust visibly clogging the air, but it was breath taking for a different reason.

Eddie would have found the room tacky if someone had taken him there when it had been pristine, but the years of neglect softened the over the top romantic furniture in a way.

Honestly, Richie bringing him here was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for him.

He couldn't let Richie know that, ever, though.

"Well, at least it's something different than the last thirty rooms," he said, aiming for a joke, but probably falling flat.

"Yeah, there is that," Richie said.

He didn't sound his usual chipper self, but he didn't look disappointed when Eddie turned around to face him. He was staring at Eddie, and made no move to hide it, and he looked -- the only word he could think of was -- reverent. Licking his lips, he started walking toward him, and Eddie was caught between a rock and a dirty bedspread.

"Richie?" he asked, voice breaking.

"Only the best for you," he said, and it truly didn't sound as if he were joking. "Would love to take you to somewhere like here for real one day."

"It's too tacky for me," Eddie responded before he could stop himself.

He gasped and covered his mouth before remembering he was wearing dirty gloves. He quickly striped them off and sanitized his hands as Richie laughed. It wasn't cruel, however. Eddie could clearly see the admiration in his eyes, because Richie was _that_ close now.

"Okay. So you can pick the place then," he said and then held his hand out in front of them.

Eddie was confused for a moment before he realized what Richie was asking for. His breath caught in his throat, or was that his heart trying to escape? He squeezed some of the sanitizer into Richie's hand. He quickly rubbed his hands together and then gently took a hold of Eddie's.

"So, what do you say?"

"To the honeymoon suite?" Eddie asked with a light laugh as Richie nodded his head. "I'd say you were moving awfully fast there. How about you ask me to dinner first."

"So, dinner then?"

"Of fucking course," Eddie said, and then he finally closed the last few inches between them and kissed Richie.

If Eddie hadn't been sure about his feelings for Richie, the kiss would have sealed the deal. It was the best feeling in the world, and Eddie could have stood there, kissing Richie, forever.

The only reason he ended up pulling back was due to the whir of a camera surprising him. Richie made a noise, almost a growl, against Eddie's neck, and he didn't want to admit how much it was effecting him.

"I'm going to kill all of you," he told the explorers, although he didn't take his eyes off of Eddie.

"No you wont," Crow said. "You'll be thanking us because you're definitely using this on your wedding invites. Like, for sure using it."

"It _is_ really beautiful," Gopher confirmed.

Eddie was curious to see the photo, but it was hard to concentrate and voice that while Richie was _still_ staring at him. His hand had come up and he was brushing his thumb over Eddie's cheek bone, and all he could smell was pure alcohol from the hand sanitizer. 

It should not have been as much of a turn on as it was.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure it is," Richie said. "I'm sure I'll appreciate it when I'm _not_ kissing Eddie. So, if you three don't mind..."

Eddie could hear the explorers shuffling out of the room, and as soon as the door closed, he was pulling Richie back in until their lips met.

"I love you, Eds," Richie said in between kisses. "If that wasn't obvious. I just want to do everything with you."

"You have no idea how much it means to me that you shared exploring with me, but I don't think I could do it all the time."

Richie laughed, resting his head on Eddie's shoulders.

"It's not your cup of tea. Got it, baby."

Eddie blushed at 'baby.' Looked as if he finally found one of Richie's nicknames he could tolerate.

"Uh, maybe we could bring the rest of the Losers sometime. I wouldn't mind going once in awhile, and it'd be fun to bring the others along."

It was probably the closest he could get to an 'I love you' at the moment, and it seemed to be enough. Richie smiled down at him and kissed him again. And again. And Eddie didn't even think about how the ceiling could collapse at any moment or all the germs that were in the air around them for once. 

Yeah, that was love.

**Author's Note:**

> a bunch of notes this time around sorry!
> 
> i wrote this for bucky who wanted a fic about them exploring the penn hills resort honeymoon suite and unfortunately that ended up like an after thought almost because i got carried away just writing about the exploring experience lol (i'm so sorry bucky!)
> 
> i used to urban explore a bunch so this is pretty much just based on a normal time out for us
> 
> crow and x-ray are characters stolen from my awful screenplay i once wrote about the urban exploring community but their personalities were tweaked so there a bit more fun lmao
> 
> and the picture crow took of richie and eddie is actually based on one a friend took of me and my ex-partner and it's honestly gorgeous shame we broke up 🤣🤣🤣
> 
> also i know i've never really linked to my other sites before, feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/mabelpined)


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